Four Mile Trail

There may be no better way to see what’s so fabulous about Yosemite Valley than to hike the Four-Mile Trail, which climbs from the valley floor near the Swinging Bridge to the south valley rim at Glacier Point (or vice versa, or both, depending on your inclination). This hike offers great views of most of the landmarks that Yosemite Valley’s famous for, and all from angles you’re not used to seeing on postcards.

Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) is a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James (Santiago in Spanish) in Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.

Limber Pine Bench

This trail has amazing views that begin very early in the hike. The route to Limber Pine Bench is one of the lesser known (and lesser traveled) view points in SoCal, providing a nice break from the more crowded trails like Mt. San Antonio.

Mineral King Loop

This is a classic backpacking loop out of Mineral King. Although it is under 30 miles long, this loop is typically done in four days or so since the elevation gain is so extreme (nearly 10k of vertical up and down).

Hannegan Peak

This stretch of land is a particularly spectacular part of Washington State. The Hannegan Peak hike traverses the north side of a long valley with Ruth creek running below. Waterfalls tumble down from glaciers along the side of Mount Sefrit and Nooksack Ridge. The most interesting thing about Hannegan Peak is it’s volcanic origin.